Remember Me
by Ph0enixS0ng
Summary: Part 1/2. It is the big day - the day of Harry and Ginny's wedding, but Harry can't forget about the one who got away... Harry/Draco slash.


**Title: **_Remember Me_

**Author:** _Phoenix Song_

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling

**Summary:** It is the big day - the day of Harry and Ginny's wedding, but Harry can't forget about the one who got away... One shot. Harry/Draco slash

**Author's Note: **Based mainly on the books, not the movies. Takes place a few years after the last Harry Potter book (but before the Epilogue). Thanks to everyone who reads and/or reviews!

##

Today was the day. The big day. The day Ginny walked down the aisle. The day she and Harry said "I do". The day they became husband and wife and all that implied . . .

. . . The day Harry would forever give up everything that might have been.

He was happy with Ginny - there was no doubt about that. She understood him as well as anyone could. She was always there for him when he needed her. She was his friend, his lover, his confidant . . .

But she was not _the one_.

Harry knew who the one was, had even known what it was like to be his lover once upon a time - sharing his sorrows, treasuring his joys . . . but he had allowed Draco Malfoy to slip through his fingers. Now his former lover was abroad somewhere, starting a family with his new wife.

Wife.

The words almost brought bile to Harry's throat, although he was about to shoulder the same responsibilities. It was what everyone expected of him, that he marry his best friend's sister, the woman he had been sharing a bed with for years.

But no one had ever stopped to ask Harry what he wanted.

No one asked him _who _he wanted.

The wedding was to take place in The Elephant House hotel in Scotland, a magical establishment that specialized in weddings and other large celebrations for witches and wizards. The wedding party had opted to stay overnight at the hotel, while the guests were scattered between the hotel and other nearby accommodations. Harry and Ginny stayed at The Elephant House as well, but in separate rooms, wanting to keep with tradition.

Now more than ever, Harry was glad they had made that decision. What would his wife-to-be think if she saw him brooding like this, only an hour before the wedding?

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair.

'I suppose I should start getting ready,' he said to himself.

He made his way to the bathroom. Once there, he stripped his pyjamas, turned the water on, and stepped into the shower.

'Ah,' he sighed, allowing the hot water to beat at his tense muscles. While he showered, he allowed his mind to wander to another place, during a time that now seemed so long ago . . .

##

_First year . . ._

##_  
_

_Young Harry and Ron looked up when three boys entered their compartment. Harry recognized the middle one - he was the pale, blond boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. _

_'Is it true?' the blond said with interest. 'They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?'_

_'Yes,' Harry replied._

_'Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle. And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.'_

_Ron coughed in amusement and Malfoy turned his sharp gaze in the redhead's direction._

_'Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.' Even at such a young age, his voice was already filled with derision. He returned his attention to Harry, adopting his pleasant - if it could be called that - personality once more. 'You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.' He held out his hand, but Harry did not take it._

_'I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks,' he said._

_Malfoy flushed._

_'I'd be careful if I were you, Potter,' he said slowly. 'Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid and it'll rub off on you.'_

_Both Harry and Ron stood up in defense._

_'Say that again,' Ron warned him angrily._

_'Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?' Malfoy sneered._

_'Unless you get out now,' Harry said._

_'But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some.'_

_Goyle reached for one of the Chocolate Frogs._

_Everything that happened after that was just a blur to Harry - Ron leapt forward, Goyle screamed and shook his hand until Scabbers flew off into the window, then the three boys disappeared._

_Harry decided he did not like Malfoy, not at all._

_Little did he know that this boy was about to become one of the most hated people he knew . . . _

_And then something so much more._

##

Having completed his shower, Harry dried himself off with one of the white, fluffy towels provided by the hotel. Then he wrapped the towel around his waist and approached the bathroom mirror. He wiped the condensation away and surveyed his slightly blurry reflection.

Intense green eyes stared back at him beneath dark brows, furrowed with thought. Even when wet, his dark hair stuck up in all directions, refusing to be tamed. He could see the changes his features had undergone since he had finished school six years ago. His cheeks were chiseled, more apparent on his face now that he had lost all of his baby fat. His muscles were more defined than they had been back then, harder and larger as well.

He had not only undergone physical changes, but mental changes as well. He had always been mature for his age, forced to grow up early as an orphan living in the house of relatives who hated him, not to mention all those encounters he had had with Voldemort. Now, however, he felt he was even more grown up, having matured through his relationships with family and friends.

He had changed in so many ways, making Harry wonder if he was at all the same as he had been back then. Was he as happy as he used to be? Would he still be happy with Ginny five, ten, fifteen years from now? Or would he always be thinking about Draco, the one who got away?

He knew things could never have worked out between them, especially since he was such a strong model for witches and wizards everywhere. There were certain things that were expected of him - marrying a woman and raising a family was near the top of that list.

Would the wizarding world ever have been able to accept it if Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, never married, not in the traditional sense anyway? Would they have been able to accept it if they learned that the hero who saved them from the tyranny of the Dark Lord had a male lover? If so, would they ever have been able to accept the fact that he was a Malfoy, a family that had been following Voldemort since his rise to power? Harry highly doubted it.

Even with all those then-future musings aside, he and Draco would have faced a lot of refute from their schoolmates, had they known. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin? Potter and Malfoy? Two natural sworn enemies? It would not have worked, Harry was sure of that. Everyone would have been against it from the start.

##

_Second year . . ._

##

_Several students in green robes walked onto the Quidditch field with shiny new broomsticks in their hands._

_'I don't believe this!' Harry heard Wood hiss in outrage. 'I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!'_

_Wood shot toward the ground; Harry, Fred, and George immediately followed._

_'Flint!' Wood bellowed. 'This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!'_

_'Plenty of room for all of us, Wood,' Flint sneered._

_Angelina, Alicia, and Katie landed as well to support their captain._

_'But I booked the field!' Wood spat. 'I booked it!'_

_'Ah, but I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape."_I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker."

_'You've got a new Seeker? Where?'_

_Just then, Malfoy stepped between his teammates with an apparent smirk on his pale face._

_'Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?' Fred said with dislike._

_'Funny you should mention Draco's father,' Flint said. 'Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team.'_

_The seven Slytherins held out their brand new broomsticks, allowing the words _Nimbus Two Thousand and One _to gleam brightly under the Gryffindor's shocked gazes._

_'Very latest model. Only came out last month. I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps, sweeps the board with them.'_

_Harry noticed that Malfoy was smiling, clearly pleased with himself. Upon closer inspection, however, Harry noticed that the smile did not reach Malfoy's eyes, that it may have even been forced._

_Suddenly, he saw the Slytherin in a whole new light, making himself feel sufficiently wiser than he had felt last year. He no longer saw the pale, blond boy he hated, the one who constantly mocked and tricked him. No. Now he saw a small, skinny boy like himself, trying to fit in. Even as a child, Malfoy was weighed down with the responsibilities and expectations of his father and mother, causing him to lash out and vent against people he saw as weaker than himself._

_Harry no longer loathed him. Rather, he pitied him. He felt sorry for this poor boy in front of him, who appeared to be accepted by his peers, but knew deep down that none of them cared about him._

_None of them loved him._

##

Harry got dressed at a leisurely pace. Boxers, robes, socks, undershirt, shirt, tie . . . he lost track of everything after a while, moving automatically as his mind wandered between the past and present.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted Harry from his thoughts.

'All right there, Harry?' Ron, his best man, called, his voice muffled through the wooden door. (Unsurprisingly, Hermione was Ginny's maid of honour.)

'Yeah,' Harry said. 'I'm just finishing up here.' He was standing in front of the full length mirror beside the door, giving his hair one last effort.

'Can I come in?'

'Yeah.'

Ron entered, wearing an ensemble that matched Harry's. Black dress robes, white shirt, green tie, and shiny leather shoes. He had a wide grin on his face.

'I can't believe it's the big day already,' he said excitedly. 'I can't believe you're marrying Ginny - my sister! Then we'll be brothers! It's great, eh, mate?'

Harry grinned, trying to share his best friend's enthusiasm, but he could not help but continue thinking about Draco . . .

##

_Third year . . ._

##

_Harry and Ron were on their way to their first Divination class at the top of the North Tower. As they walked, Harry was rifling through his bag to make sure he had everything he needed. Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the corridor with an anxious expression on his face. _

_'Oh, I forgot my book in the dormitory,' he said with a frown. 'Make an excuse for me, will you?' _

_'Yeah, no problem, mate,' Ron said._

_Harry smiled in appreciation and hurried off towards Gryffindor Tower. The corridors were rather busy by this time as students rushed here and there, on their way to their first classes of the term. He bumped into more than a few people in his rush to get to his dormitory - it was only the first day and he was already going to upset his new professor!_

_The corridors started to get emptier as he wandered further and further away from the Great Hall. Finally, there was no one left. By this time, however, Harry was fairly out of breath and had had to slow down to a brisk walk._

_'Skipping already, Potter?' a familiar, drawling voice said._

_Groaning inwardly, Harry turned around to see Malfoy leaning casually against the wall. He had not noticed the blond boy in his hurry to return to Gryffindor Tower._

_'What's it to you Malfoy?'_

_'I won't tell,' Malfoy said, slowly approaching the other teen._

_Harry was unable to mask the look of surprise on his face._

_'Really? You usually go out of your way to get me into trouble.'_

_'I have to,' Malfoy said with a shrug._

_'You don't "have to" do anything,' Harry said irritably._

_'There's no need to be so moody, Potter. I just wanted to talk.'_

_Harry's eyes narrowed suspiciously._

_'We don't talk. We never talk.'_

_'Look, I don't mean to be such a prat,' Malfoy continued, ignoring the Gryffindor's comment. 'I - I can't help it.'_

_'Is this some sort of trick, Malfoy?' Harry asked. He looked around the corridor, as if expecting Crabbe and Goyle to jump out at any moment to hex him._

_'Everyone likes you,' the blond said. 'Anywhere I go in the school, I hear "Harry this" and "Harry that". I suppose . . . I was just . . . jealous of you,' he said hesitantly._

_Harry just stared. Was Malfoy being sincere?_

_'And . . . well . . . that's not all . . .'_

_'What is it?' Harry asked in a kinder tone this time. He was genuinely curious about what Malfoy had to say now._

_'Well, your hair is awful, you have appalling taste in friends, and your glory boy persona makes me want to throw up, but-'_

_'Spit it out, Malfoy!' Harry snapped, quickly losing his patience._

_'I like you,' Malfoy finally said, turning red in the face. 'A lot,' he added; he pointedly avoided Harry's gaze._

_Harry's mouth made a distinct O shape. _

_'Minus the awful hair and the appalling friends and the glory boy persona-' he muttered under his breath, but Malfoy cut him off._

_'No, just as you are.' Malfoy stepped closer._

_Harry remained silent._

_'I - I think I've felt this way about you since we first met,' Malfoy continued, 'but I didn't realize it back then, obviously. I've had a lot of time to think about this over the summer and I know that telling you all this gives you a distinct advantage over me, but . . .' He trailed off, then, 'I couldn't stand not having you know.' He stepped even closer, so that he and Harry were only standing a foot apart. 'I want you to end my torment.'_

_'I don't think this is a good idea, Malfoy,' Harry said, knowing what Malfoy was thinking. He nervously looked down the empty corridor, hoping no one was listening in on their conversation. 'In fact, I think it's a bad idea,' he added lamely. 'What will everyone think?'_

_'They don't have to know.'_

_'What will _we _think?'_

_'We'll decide that after.' Then Malfoy closed the distance between them and pressed his soft lips against Harry's._

_Harry did not know what it was like to kiss another person, let alone a boy. He had not been close enough to any girls in his muggle school to experiment - Dudley made sure of that - and the only girl he was close enough to at Hogwarts was Hermione, but the thought of kissing her did not appeal to him. It would be like kissing his sister! _

_Although he had no comparison, kissing Malfoy was . . . nice. His lips felt soft yet firm at the same time. Harry started when he felt Malfoy's tongue lick his lips, requesting entrance. He hesitantly opened his mouth, allowing Malfoy to delve inside._

_Harry felt his knees go weak when the Slytherin's tongue explored the cavern within, tasting and teasing him. He moaned and instinctively wrapped his arms around Malfoy's neck to hold himself up, unintentionally pressing their bodies closer together. His mind was foggy - he was unable to think about anything except the other teen's mouth against his own and how their bodies seemed to fit together so perfectly._

_Just as things began to heat up, Malfoy pulled away. Harry felt pleased to see that his lips were slightly swollen and his face was flush from their snogging. Just as he was wondering how Malfoy had learned to kiss like that, the Slytherin gently grabbed his chin and tilted Harry's face slightly to the side for another kiss - this one was short and brief, a quick peck with a teasing tongue dart that made Harry's blood immediately rush to his loins._

_'Do you still think this is a bad idea?' Malfoy said huskily._

_##_

'Are you nervous?' Ron asked.

'A bit,' Harry admitted. 'We've been looking forward to this day for so long, but now that it's here, it seems to have just snuck up on us!' He laughed.

'I know what you mean, mate,' Ron said, clapping him on the back. 'I had the same feelings when I married Hermione, but they'll pass.' An almost dreamy look came upon his face. 'Then you'll be married and things will just seem . . . right, you know?'

Harry nodded, but he was not really sure Ron understood his feelings. The redhead had been in love with Hermione for . . . who knows how long! Meanwhile, Harry was not even sure if he was in love with Ginny. The feelings between them were . . . different from the feelings between his best friends. Not only that, Ron never had a lover like Draco - _no one _could compare to him.

Draco . . . He was an arse on the surface, but when they made love, he was always thinking about Harry's needs and wants, putting his own on the backburner. Aside from that, Harry had seen a side of him that no one else had ever seen, not even Draco's own parents! He saw a boy who wanted to be loved for just being himself - not a Slytherin, not the heir of the Malfoy fortune, not a Death Eater in waiting . . . When Harry gave him that chance, he became much stronger and wiser for it and prove to be a very kind and thoughtful lover.

Their experiences together allowed Harry to grow as well, becoming the man he was today.

He just wished he could have Draco stand by his side again as he once did.

##

_Fourth year . . ._

##

_Harry was the only one left in the tent, awaiting his turn to face the dragon. He nervously paced around the tent, vaguely listening in on Bagman's commentary._

_Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him - someone was entering the tent!_

_He whipped around, his wand held ready in his hand._

_'Whoa, there,' Draco said, holding up his hands in defense. 'I'm unarmed, I swear.'_

_Harry snorted._

_'I doubt that.'_

_'Why don't you search me?' Draco asked with a glint in his eye._

_Harry smiled and approached his lover. He pretended to search Draco, making a show of patting down his robes and paying particular attention to the front of his robes._

_'Uh-huh, just as I thought - your wand is in _here_,' he said in a teasing voice, cupping Draco's desire._

_Draco moaned softly and gripped the front of Harry's robes._

_'How can you be in _this _sort of mood?' he asked, his eyes darkening with desire. 'You're about to face a _dragon_!'_

_'What can I say? You bring it out in me,' Harry said, leaning so close to Draco that their noses were touching. 'I hate that it's so hard for us to find some time alone together.'_

_'We're alone now,' Draco said with raised brows._

_'Yes, we are,' Harry agreed. _

_Their lips met in a hard, passionate kiss._

_Harry felt complete. His hands entangled in Draco's hair and he pulled his lover closer, kissing him so hard that the kiss felt almost bruising. _

_'I missed you so much,' Harry murmured against the Slytherin's swollen lips._

_'You saw me at breakfast,' Draco replied, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist._

_'You know what I mean,' Harry said impatiently. 'I missed you - I missed _this_.' He emphasized his words by thrusting gently against Draco's hips._

_Draco groaned softly in response._

_But the moment was cut short when the lovers heard the sound of the whistle, signaling Harry's turn to face his demons - or rather, a fierce Hungarian Horntail dragon - for the Triwizard Tournament competition. They embraced each other one last time._

_'I'll be cheering for you,' Draco called just before Harry ducked out of the tent. 'But don't tell anyone,' he added with a wink._

_Harry smiled and mouthed, 'I love you.'_

_Then he was gone._

_##_

When Harry was finally finished getting ready, he and Ron made their way to the Great Hall where the wedding ceremony was to take place. They took their places at the front of the Hall. Harry was painfully aware of all the eyes watching him.

'It's just nerves, mate,' Ron said with a reassuring smile. 'They'll pass - you'll see.'

Apparently, Harry's edginess had not gone unnoticed, but it was for a different reason entirely, not the one his companion had assumed. For one crazy moment, he was tempted to tell the redhead what was really troubling him, but he bit back the words. His best friend would not understand. Ron would think he had gone mad! Hermione would not be a good confidant in this case either, had she been there. (Harry assumed she was busy with her maid of honour duties somewhere.) She would think he was enchanted, although Harry could not think of a single motive as to why someone would want him and Draco to fall in love with each other.

Harry sighed and allowed his eyes to sweep the crowd. Expressions of joy and pride were shining on the faces of the guests, his and Ginny's closest family and friends.

Yet . . . he felt he did not belong. He was too caught up in his memories of his former lover.

He did not feel like a man in love with his bride.

##

_Fifth year . . ._

##

_'Bloody hell,' Harry cursed as he whipped off his Invisibility Cloak and threw it into one corner of the Room of Requirement._

_'Hello to you, too, love,' Draco said sarcastically. He was lying casually on the plush four poster bed that the Room had conveniently provided for them. Black drapes hung from the wooden poles; the beddings were black as well. A little nightstand (made of the same wood) stood next to the bed, its drawer filled with various oils and lubricants. (The first time the two teens had seen them, they had become so red that eggs could be cooked on their faces. Now, however, they were well used to the idea and even obliged themselves every now and then.) Dimly lit candles were scattered about to light the room, setting a romantic mood._

_'I'm sorry,' Harry apologized. He approached his lover and gave him a peck on the lips. 'I missed you, love, that's why I'm so pissed off - I thought your little Inquisitorial Squad cronies would _never_ leave!'_

_'Yeah,' Draco said distractedly. He sat up, reaching for the waistband of Harry's pyjama pants, 'but you better get used to it. They will keep patrolling the corridors at night until Umbridge calls them all off.'_

_'Calls _you _all off, you mean,' Harry corrected grimly._

_'We have to keep up appearances. What would everyone_ _say if they knew about us? What would my _father_ say? '_

_'There has to be another way. You make my life a living hell sometimes, you know that?'_

_Draco sighed heavily._

_'This isn't really the best time for that conversation, love.' He nodded pointedly at the bulge in his own pyjama pants. 'I'm horny as hell.'_

_Harry grinned._

_'Then we had best do something about that, shan't we?'_

_Draco's expression mirrored his lover's as he pulled down Harry's pants, making them drop to the floor. One brow rose when he noticed there was nothing underneath._

_'Going commando today?' he asked, but it was not really a question._

_Harry shrugged. _

_'I figured they wouldn't be on for long,' he said impishly. _

_Harry pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor to join his pants. Then he climbed onto the bed with Draco, who had already disposed of his own clothes in anticipation._

_'You're in a hurry today, love,' Harry said mildly._

_'It's because you're too damn sexy for your own good,' Draco replied with a wink. He straddled Harry's hips and kissed him, leaning forward to gently nudge him onto the bed._

_When Harry was lying comfortably on the bed, he wrapped his arms around Draco's neck, pulling the other teen closer towards him. He sighed softly when he felt the warm, comfortable weight of the Slytherin on top of him. He tucked his head into the crook of his lover's neck, inhaling his strong masculine scent and arousal._

_Draco reached between them to hold Harry's cock, which was already hard and wet. He stroked the length of Harry's arousal, first fast, then slow, all the while teasing the sensitive head with his thumb. Harry moaned almost uncontrollably beneath him, begging for more. Draco smiled and lowered himself down, taking his lover's desire into his mouth._

_Harry slowly thrust into the Slytherin's mouth . . . In . . . Out . . . In . . . Out . . . He surrendered to his pleasure, allowing his senses to overcome him. All too soon, Draco pulled away. Harry opened his mouth to object, but his protests dissolved in the back of his throat when he felt Draco raise himself up slightly to nudge against his entrance. _

_Knowing what his lover wanted, Draco thrust into Harry in a single drive; both teens moaned passionately. Then Draco began to move . . . In . . . Out . . . In . . . Out . . ._

_Harry moved along with his lover, matching his slow pace. Not long after, however, the sensations were becoming too much for him and he began to thrash helplessly against the blond, wanting Draco to end his torment. His length got harder and harder with each passing thrust . . ._

_'Draco,' he groaned huskily. 'I'm going to cum . . .'_

_But Draco had already seen the signs and was thrusting faster, quickly bringing himself closer and closer to the edge until he reached the same point as his lover._

_They came together._

##

Harry looked down the length of the aisle with wide eyes, then to the wide door at the end, where Ginny would be entering from. It was almost time for the ceremony to begin.

He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat and looked over at Ron, who grinned and gave him a double thumbs-up. Harry returned his attention to the front, staring but not really seeing the door at the other end of the hall.

If things were different, maybe he and Draco could have been together from the start without having to face the judgment and hostility of others. If Voldemort had not existed and there was not so much ill blood between the Slytherins and the other Hogwarts houses, a Gryffindor dating a Slytherin - or, more particularly, the Boy Who Lived dating a Malfoy - would not have seemed like such a scandal. Who knows? Ron and Hermione may have approved of Draco - may have even _liked _him - if they knew what he was really like.

But those were all just empty dreams, trapped in a past that did not exist.

Voldemort's existence was, for lack of a better description, a circumstance that had an extreme effect on past events. It was impossible to change such an influential factor without having dire effects on the present and future - that was the most important rule of time travel.

Even so, Harry had been happy when he and Draco were together. Even with all the secrecy and lies, being with Draco made sense; it just seemed so . . . right.

But that was before their paradise took a turn in their sixth year when Draco was forced to do Voldemort's bidding. It pained Harry to see Draco forced into such submission, although he did not know what was really going on at the time. He did not even recognize his lover anymore; Draco was not the same person he had fallen in love with.

Harry forced his mind to return to the present. He smiled at the watching guests, easily recognizing the familiar faces in the group. Little did he know than an uninvited, but very welcome guest, was watching the proceedings from the back of the hall with tears shining in his steel grey eyes.

##

_Sixth year . . ._

##

_'You've been avoiding me, Draco,' Harry said with a serious expression once he had cornered Draco in an empty classroom._

_'I haven't.'_

_'You have.'_

_'I haven't!' Draco insisted. He gave his lover a brief kiss on the cheek and embraced him in reassurance, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist._

_But Harry could tell this embrace was different. Draco was holding him more loosely, more distantly than he usually did. Harry did not sense the same feelings of warmth and comfort he usually felt. He pulled away; emerald met steel as their gazes met._

_'What are you hiding from me?'_

_Draco turned away to look out one of the classroom windows._

_'I'm not hiding anything,' he said, unable to meet his lover's gaze. He looked disinterestedly at the Quidditch pitch in the distance, where the Ravenclaw team was practicing their new strategies._

_Harry took his hand, but Draco still did not turn around._

_'Please, tell me,' he said, practically begging. 'It's important - I want to understand why you are so unhappy.'_

_A lump formed in Draco's throat. He had been thinking about this for weeks, hoping to find a way out of his predicament. He knew it would be difficult to keep his mission from his lover - Harry asked too many questions for his own good - but he could not be allowed to discover the truth. Draco knew what he had to do . . . and it would cost him dearly._

_'We need to talk,' he said seriously, unable to stop the tears from welling up in his eyes._

_Harry's eyes widened, dreading what his lover would say next. _

_Draco felt his heart begin to crack before he even said the words. He never wanted to see pain in those perfect green eyes, let alone pain caused by him. He looked at the floor, once again unable to meet the Gryffindor's gaze._

_'We need to break up,' he said quickly, fearing his voice would crack._

_'Why?' Harry asked, biting his lower lip in anxiety. 'We've hidden this well enough from everyone - no one suspects a thing!'_

_'Well, maybe I don't want to cower anymore!' Draco snapped, making Harry flinch. 'But . . . we still cannot tell everyone. They cannot know . . .' He sighed. 'I don't want to live a lie anymore, Potter.'_

_Harry flinched again, as if Draco's use of his surname had wounded him - in a way, it had._

_'I wasn't a lie,' Harry said quietly. 'It was never a lie.'_

_'It was!' _

_'Not to us . . . When I said I loved you, when _you_ said you loved _me_, it was never a lie . . .'_

_Draco's brows furrowed as he tried to gain control over his emotions. He did not want to do this - it was the _last_ thing he wanted to do! He did not want to hurt his lover and he certainly did he want to break up with him. Harry was the only thing that made sense in his life, the only thing that kept him grounded . . . but if the Dark Lord were to find out Harry had discovered the plan, Draco's mother and father would be in danger. He could not allow them to die because of his own folly; he would never be able to forgive himself. Things would be better if he never saw Harry again._

_'I'm sorry,' Draco said._

_Before Harry could respond, he briskly walked away, making his way to the closest door._

_Harry suppressed his tears as he watched Draco leave. He did not know what to think now. If they were no longer lovers, what were they? _

_Exes? That made things seem too final and it was still too early for Harry to want to be thinking like that._

_Acquaintances? It seemed too loose a term to use for someone whom had seen him naked . . . repeatedly._

_Friends? He doubted it._

_Allies? Ha! That was even more unlikely._

_The one?_

_The thought made the tears pour out._

##

Draco had arrived at The Elephant House hotel that morning to witness the Potter-Weasley wedding. Just as the wedding party was entering the Hall through the main door at the back of the room, he snuck into one of the side doors that dotted the walls. He was dressed to the T, wanting to fit in with the rest of the wedding guests. He was wearing classy black dress robes with a starched white shirt underneath. Shiny dragon hide shoes and a dashing tie accessorized the ensemble, making him look like a veritable Prince Charming.

"But I'm not his Prince Charming anymore," Draco thought sadly as he slipped into a chair at the back of the hall, slightly hidden by one of the decorated pillars.

As if cued by his thoughts, the wedding march started to play and Ginny entered. Her red hair was pulled back into a neat bun at the back of her head; a long veil hung gracefully from it, dragging along behind her as she walked down the aisle with her father and mother. Her strapless dress was pristine white, accentuating her curves before flowing out at her knees.

As hesitant as Draco was to admit it, she looked breathtaking.

His eyes followed her to the front, where her husband-to-be was waiting for her. Draco's breath caught in his throat. Although Ginny looked absolutely amazing, Harry outdid her by a long shot, at least in Draco's eyes. His former lover was wearing dress robes in a style that was traditional for the groom to wear at wizarding weddings. He had an awed expression on his face as he took in his fiancée, as if seeing her clearly for the very first time.

"He will never turn her down," Draco thought. Then again, he had not really expected him to.

If truth be told, Draco did not even know why he was here. He had learned about the wedding through the Daily Prophet, along with the rest of the wizarding world. After all, the wedding of the Boy Who Lived was hardly something the family could keep quiet, although the details were strictly kept on a need-to-know basis. The last thing anyone would have wanted is for crazed Harry Potter fans to appear uninvited at this private ceremony.

Draco had gone to all lengths to find out the details - where, what day, what time . . . It was only that very morning he had finally found out the wedding was the be held at The Elephant House hotel in Scotland. Without even thinking about it, he donned his best robes and Apparated to the hotel.

Now that he was here at the ceremony, however, he did not know what to do. He could not stop the wedding, yet at the same time, he was not sure if he could bear seeing Harry marry another.

Draco held his breath when he heard the officiator ask, 'And if anyone here present knows of any reason why this couple should not be joined in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.'

He was on the verge of opening his mouth, but reason stepped in. Things are no longer as simple as they were back then, if they could ever have been called simple. Draco had responsibilities now as lord of the manor. He had a reputation he needed to keep intact. He had a wife at home, waiting for him. No, anything he did now would just be folly.

Why, then, did things feel so wrong?

##

_Seventh year . . ._

##

_Draco looked up as his mother entered the room with a group of Snatchers and their quarry in tow._

_'What is this?' his father demanded._

_'They say they've got Potter,' his mother replied. 'Draco, come here.'_

_Draco started when he heard the sound of his own name. He had been too intent on the group, paying particular attention to a black-haired teen whom was being dragged in by Greyback. The boy's face was huge, shiny, and pink, his every feature distorted. His hair reached his shoulders and there was a dark shadow around his jaw, yet there was something distinctly familiar about him . . . When Draco rose from his armchair to comply with his mother's request, he realized the other teen was avoiding eye contact with him._

_"It can't be . . ." he thought in horror._

_'Well, Draco?' his father asked, sounding avid. 'Is it? Is it Harry Potter?'_

_Draco looked closely, trying to peer into the boy's slits of eyes. His steel eyes widened when he recognized the familiar green hue. His eyes raked the jinxed face, immediately noticing the stretched scar on the right side of the stranger's forehead._

_It _was_ him - Harry Potter. His former bedmate, his former old lover . . . the _one.

_'I can't - I can't be sure,' Draco stuttered, unsure of what to say. His thoughts were going a mile a minute - he had to save Harry! There was no way he could allow his parents and the other Death Eaters to hand him over to the Dark Lord!_

_'But look at him carefully - look! Come closer!' his father insisted. 'Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv-"_

_"Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him I hope, Mr. Malfoy,' Greyback interrupted him menacingly._

_'Of course not, of course not!' his father said impatiently._

_As his father approached Harry, Draco held his breath, hoping against hope his father would not recognize him._

_'What did you do to him?' his father asked Greyback. 'How did he get into this state?'_

_'That wasn't us.'_

_'Looks like a Stinging Jinx to me.' Then his father's voice dropped to a whisper. 'There's something there. It could be a scar, stretched tight . . . Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?'_

_Draco came to stand beside his father, his face full of reluctance, even fear._

_'I don't know,' he said in a shaky voice._

_'We had better be certain,' his mother said to his father, 'completely sure that it is Potter, before we summon the Dark Lord . . .' _

_His father walked away toward the fireplace where his mother stood watching._

_Draco tuned out the rest of their conversation as he surveyed the teen before him once more. He longed to touch his face, embrace him, do _something_ to reassure him and let him know everything would be all right . . . but he could not. There were too many people watching. Besides which, he did not know how things would end; the realization pained him beyond words._

_'Draco?' Harry whispered quietly. _

_Draco bit his lip, trying to control his feelings for Harry and prevent himself from doing something stupid. Yes, he still had feelings for him. He had not wanted to break up with him the previous year, wanted even less for him to be hurting like this . . . but Draco had no choice. The Dark Lord had threatened to kill his parents if he did anything to help Harry now or ever. _

_'Draco?' Harry said again. 'I'm scared, Draco.'_

_Tears welled up in Draco's eyes. He blinked furiously, trying to keep them from falling._

_'I'm here,' he said, trying to put all of his emotions into the two little words. _

_'Look, Draco, isn't it the Granger girl?' his mother called, unknowingly interrupting their private moment. _

_'I . . . maybe . . . yeah,' Draco replied distractedly, barely glancing at the curly-haired girl. He was still staring deep into Harry's eyes, which were starting to open up as the Stinging Jinx faded away._

_In his eyes, it was just the two of them, staring lovingly at each other as they used to do . . . but in their hearts, they knew things were not the same. In their hearts, even if the Dark Lord was dead and gone, they knew they could never be together again. Too much had passed between them now, too many things that could not be forgiven . . ._

_'But then, that's the Weasley boy!' his father shouted. 'It's them, Potter's friends - Draco, look at him, isn't it Arthur Weasley's son, what's-his-name-?'_

_'Yeah,' Draco said again, his back to the other prisoners. 'It could be.' His attention was still on his former lover. He wanted to protect him; he longed to save him with all his heart . . . but he could not. He was too weak, weaker than he cared to admit. 'I'm sorry you have to go through this. I'm sorry things couldn't turn out another way.' His bit his lip again to prevent it from shaking. 'Remember me,' he said with tears once again shining in his steel grey eyes. 'Remember me as I was, before all this . . . when it was just you and I, together . . .'_

_Tears began to form in Harry's eyes as well._

_'Remember me,' Draco said one last time before his aunt, Bellatrix, shoved him out of the way._

_##_

Before Draco realized it, it was time for the vows. He watched with a heavy heart as the officiator asked Ginny the age old questions first.

'Do you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?'

'I do,' Ginny replied, smiling up at Harry with tears in her eyes.

Even from where he was sitting in the back, Draco could hear a woman bawling loudly in the front row as she watched the ceremony.

"Must be her mother," he thought with a faint smile.

The officiator then turned to Harry.

'And do you, Harry James Potter, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?'

Draco's heart felt like it had stopped beating; he was unable to bear it. He slipped out of the hall just as Harry was saying, 'I-'

_## _

_The End?_


End file.
